Information was being accrued to unearth the exact number of homes affected by flooding, Harisah, secretary of the Mandailing Natal Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD), stated here on Wednesday.
Hutapuli, Bonandolok, Huraba Satu, Huraba Dua, Tanggabosi Satu, Tanggabosi Dua, Tanggabosi Tiga, and Muara Batang Angkola were the villages affected by flooding.
"Right now, officers are in the flooded areas to help local residents. Valid data on damages and losses is not yet available. However, according to the temporary data that we have collected, some 500 homes are inundated," Harisah stated.
Floodwaters have begun to recede in several villages, except for Huraba Village, where roads and homes were yet inundated.
The local BPBD has established health command posts and emergency tents to accommodate flood victims. However, most flood victims preferred to stay with their relatives living on higher ground temporarily.
Indonesia is currently transitioning from extreme dry to rainy season.
Most of the country's regions continue to be hit by prolonged drought that has triggered wildfires and water crisis, while rainfall was received in few regions, including Aceh Province.
In Aceh, floods hit three sub-districts in Pidie District and two sub-districts respectively in the districts of Simeulue and Aceh Singkil and inundated hundreds of homes on Monday (Oct 21).
However, on Java Island, wildfires razed forest areas located on the slopes of several mountains, including the twin mountains Mount Arjuno and Mount Welirang, Mount Argopuro, Mount Cikuray, Mount Ringgit, and Mount Sumbing.
Strong wind played spoilsport in the aerial firefighting efforts to put out wildfires on the slopes of those mountains.
The authorities have managed to put out wildfires on Mount Malabar, Mount Merapi, and Mount Andong.
During the January-August 2019 period, a total of 328,722 hectares of forest and peatland areas were razed by fires across Indonesia.
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Translator: Juraidi, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
